BUFFALO, N.Y. – NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman revealed that there is a high probability that the league will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of its annual winter classic in the same place where the outdoor event originated: Orchard Park, New York, in the year 2028.
Bettman made these statements during the Sabres’ season opener in Buffalo on Thursday night. In addition, he mentioned that conversations have already been held about the possibility of an outdoor game at Highmark Stadium. The Highmark Stadium is the current stadium of the Buffalo Bills of the NFL, and will also be the name of the team’s new facility, costing $2.1 billion, which is scheduled to open in July. The first Winter Classic was held on January 1, 2008, at the former facilities, then known as Ralph Wilson Stadium. The event immediately captivated the attention of the NHL and its followers. The combination of falling snow and a stadium filled with 71,217 fans generated a snow globe effect for the international television audience. The then-rising NHL star, Sidney Crosby, secured the victory for the Pittsburgh Penguins over Buffalo with a score of 2-1, by scoring the decisive goal in the penalty shootout. Since then, the NHL has hosted 16 Winter Classics in various prominent stadiums across the United States, including Wrigley Field in Chicago, Fenway Park in Boston, and the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, in a game typically played on New Year’s Day. The league has added other outdoor games to its schedule, totaling 41 since the first Winter Classic, with this year’s game scheduled for January 2 at LoanDepot Park in the Miami Marlins. Bettman joked about how the NHL envisioned the instant success of the Winter Classic, before adding that he was joking about what began as a unique proposal that the Sabres and NBC presented to the league.I’m not making an announcement or committing, but we are focused on whether we can do it around the twentieth anniversary of the original Winter Classic.
Gary Bettman
From a logistical perspective, it is advantageous that both the Sabres and the Bills are owned by Terry Pegula. The Highmark Stadium also hosted an international hockey game between the United States and Canada in December 2017, when Buffalo hosted the World Junior Championships.We are grateful to have done it here first. And we will be back, I promise.
Gary Bettman
